Melissa Etheridge to test ‘This Is Me’ in Edmonton

Melissa Etheridge to test ‘This Is Me’ in Edmonton

Just a little late for the folk fest, a Melissa Etheridge “solo” show would’ve been perfect – and it still is expected to be a breath of fresh air when the 53-year-old rock icon takes it intimate and unplugged for a tour she calls “This is ME Solo,” coming to Edmonton’s Jubilee Auditorium on Wednesday, […]

JAZZ REVIEW: MSMW titans of whatever we call it now

JAZZ REVIEW: MSMW titans of whatever we call it now

When it came time to pick a name for the new group Medeski, Scofield, Martin and Wood – combining the New York funk-jazz trio with a veteran guitar wizard – it didn’t seem there were any grand visions about chocolate watches or strawberry alarm clocks. Nope, just the names of four guys, about as exciting […]

End of the Earth, by Chad Huculak

End of the Earth, by Chad Huculak

READ ABOUT PURPLE CITY: AN EDMONTON TRADITION NO ONE TELLS YOU ABOUT

MUSIC PREVIEW: Most awesome bush party ever

MUSIC PREVIEW: Most awesome bush party ever

It begins. Legions of undead shall rise and swarm across the land, feeding their insatiable craving for BRAINS … and summer festival fun! Most of the so-called “hippies,” not to mention a whole lot of local indie bands, will be out of town at the North Country Fair starting Friday on the shores of the […]

Scott Wicken sees the forest for the trees

Scott Wicken sees the forest for the trees

It’s perfectly legal to make stuff up, but all the best songwriters seem to stick closely to the old saying “write what you know.” Who’s going to believe you otherwise? For more evidence, one can’t doubt that Scott Wicken is indeed an “Old Treeplanter,” which happens to be the title of his new record, hot […]

Bobby McFerrin more than a happy song he wrote

Bobby McFerrin more than a happy song he wrote

A remarkable thing happened when Bobby McFerrin did an audience participation bit at the Arden Theatre about 20 years ago – and it had nothing to do with “Don’t Worry, By Happy,” the smash hit song he released in 1988 that defined this unassuming jazz singer forever, for good or ill. Singalongs aren’t remarkable, of […]

End of the Earth, by Chad Huculak

End of the Earth, by Chad Huculak

Taylor Scott brings ‘soul jam’ to Blues on Whyte

Taylor Scott brings ‘soul jam’ to Blues on Whyte

For a jaded music fan who thinks most of what passes for artistic talent these days is pretty average, hearing Taylor Scott is like hitting the jackpot. This unassuming kid from Cheyenne, Wyoming is a monster. He’s phenomenal. He can do soul, funk, R&B and shred like a metalhead, and you’ll rarely hear a white […]

MUSIC PREVIEW: More new records than ever!

MUSIC PREVIEW: More new records than ever!

Do people even get excited about CD release events anymore? No, they do not. Seems like there’s at least two a week around these parts. Apparently now anyone can make a CD on those fancy home contraptions. What a world. You know, back in the day – said the old man yelling at the kids […]

Shut up and play your music

Shut up and play your music

So apparently Jack White is now a jerk for calling the guys in the Black Keys jerks, among other jerky things said about other people, including his ex-wife, in the heat of the moment … to a Rolling Stone reporter. Then Jack said he was sorry. Don’t you wish these guys would just stop talking? […]

End of the Earth, by Chad Huculak

End of the Earth, by Chad Huculak

MUSIC PREVIEW: Jonathan Richman new wave before new wave was cool

MUSIC PREVIEW: Jonathan Richman new wave before new wave was cool

It’s not often we get a visit from one of the architects of rock ‘n’ roll – one of the builders of the mighty bridge between punk music and folk music that we all travel on so easily and take so much for granted today. Old-timers remember the gaping canyon that once yawned between the […]